Democratic Representative Sylvester Turner died Wednesday at the age of 70 hours after attending President Trump’s address in the Congress.
Turner suffered a medical emergency in the underground tunnel that links the Capitol with the Cannon Building and was rushed to a hospital.
“It’s my duty as the mayor to confirm that Congressman Sylvester Turner, a former mayor, state representative for 24 years, passed away last night,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced Wednesday.
“This comes as a shock to everyone. I would ask Houstonians to come together. Pray for his family, join us in celebrating this remarkable public servant. Celebrate his life, which we will be doing.”
A cause of death remains unclear. Turner had a last message to the Trump administration a few minutes before he addressed Congress on Tuesday evening.
Turner warned Trump not to “mess with Medicaid” since “any cuts to Medicaid” would have direct impacts on ailing children’s families.
“President Trump and Elon Musk’s push to gut Medicaid is nothing short of a betrayal of the most valuable among us. They are playing politics with children’s lives, and I will not stand for it,” he said.
